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00SL2
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Move to digital TV begins
Posted by Tom Gantert December 08, 2007 18:51PM
Categories: Business News Update, Top Stories
By TOM GANTERT
The Ann Arbor News
In what's apt to be the first of several confusing changes for cable TV customers in the upcoming year, Comcast is moving the city of Ann Arbor's Community Television Network channels from the mid-teens to the 900s.
The cable-provider is also requiring subscribers to switch to digital receivers to receive the channels, a year sooner than is required by the Federal Communications Commission.
The move involving the public access channels will take effect Jan. 15 and could come as a surprise to many Comcast subscribers.
CTN programming consists of locally produced shows on topics such as the environment, arts and history and also governmental meetings, such as the City Council, Board of Education and Planning Commission.
The U.S. Congress has mandated that all TV broadcasters make the switch from analog technology to digital signals by Feb. 17, 2009 in order to free up traditional broadcast signals for emergency communication. And consumers are beginning to consider whether their TVs will still receive local channels.
TVs that are digital have an input connection in the back labeled "digital input" or "ATSC/QUAM" - which means it has an Advanced Television Systems Committee tuner, said Ramsey Bishar, co-owner of Big George's Home Appliance Mart.
Starting in January, the Federal Communications Commission is offering households with analog TVs up to two coupons, worth $40 each, to offset the cost of the digital converters that are expected to cost between $50 and $75 at electronic retail stores.
A Comcast representative said last week that the cable provider will offer free converter boxes to subscribers with analog televisions next year. After a year, digital subscribers will be charged. The current rate Comcast charges for a converter box is $4.20 a month.
Meanwhile, some local residents are upset that they many not be able to watch CTN unless they upgrade.
"I think it is outrageous," said Ann Arbor resident Helen Hall. "I thought they were supposed to be civic-minded and provide local service to customers. ... We shouldn't have to pay for this type of local coverage. They supply C-SPAN to us (at no charge). They should provide local programming."
Comcast spokesman Patrick Paterno said Comcast will still offer government programming as a basic service and that customers won't have to pay for a tiered service to get CTN. But subscribers will need digital capability to watch it.
Paterno didn't give a specific reason why CTN was being moved but said there are a lot of reasons program lineups are set by cable companies, including customer feedback and state and federal regulations.
City Councilwoman Marcia Higgins, D-4th Ward, said the council is hearing from many concerned citizens because the change is only six weeks away.
"It is happening so fast," Higgins said. "It's forcing them to get a converter."
Higgins is also concerned that the channels will be moved from the current channels of 16 through 19 to the 900s. According to a Comcast letter to the city, Ch. 16 will be 911, Ch. 17 will be 916, Ch. 18 will be 902 and Ch. 19 will be 912.
Tina Reed contributed to this report. Tom Gantert can be reached at tgantert@annarbornews.com or 734-994-6701.
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Source: http://blog.mlive.com/annarbornews/2007/12/move_to_digital_tv_begins.html
Accessed: December 9, 2007 |
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Sun Dec 09, 2007 2:16 pm |
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last time here
Guest
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| mo money, mo money, mo money!!! |
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Sun Dec 09, 2007 2:28 pm |
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Dave Starr
F L I N T O I D
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I switched to Directv; more channels, less money, MUCH better reception.
Now, Comcast charges a $1.99 service charge if you pay your bill in person at the office???? |
_________________
I used to care, but I take a pill for that now.
Pushing buttons sure can be fun.
When a lion wants to go somewhere, he doesn’t worry about how many hyenas are in the way.
Paddle faster, I hear banjos. |
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Sun Dec 09, 2007 2:42 pm |
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00SL2
F L I N T O I D
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Some of the Comcast charges are:
$35.00 Customer Trouble Call
$ 4.00 Live Agent Assisted Payment Fee - Call Center
$ 1.99 Live Agent Assisted Payment Fee - Service Center
$ 4.20 Digital Converter (monthly)
Is DirecTV the one with the little satellite mounted on the side of the house? They don't broadcast the City Council meetings do they? What is their minimum basic package? |
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Sun Dec 09, 2007 3:50 pm |
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twotap
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quote:
mo money, mo money, mo money!!!
LT is correct of course and I know this thread is about digital TV but I have to say if you have not seen an HD TV hooked up properly to an HD source with HDMI connections you will be shocked at the difference, its mo money yes but I feel its worth it. By the way my son is hooked up to dish network and he seems happy with that, I dont know about local programing though but hes a sports nut and sports in HD are quite a spectacle especially redwings games. |
_________________
"If you like your current healthcare you can keep it, Period"!!
Barack Hussein Obama--- multiple times. |
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Sun Dec 09, 2007 4:06 pm |
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Dave Starr
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quote:
00SL2 schreef:
Some of the Comcast charges are:
$35.00 Customer Trouble Call
$ 4.00 Live Agent Assisted Payment Fee - Call Center
$ 1.99 Live Agent Assisted Payment Fee - Service Center
$ 4.20 Digital Converter (monthly)
Is DirecTV the one with the little satellite mounted on the side of the house? They don't broadcast the City Council meetings do they? What is their minimum basic package?
Look at www.directv.com
They have local channels, 5, 12, 25, etc., but no local access. |
_________________
I used to care, but I take a pill for that now.
Pushing buttons sure can be fun.
When a lion wants to go somewhere, he doesn’t worry about how many hyenas are in the way.
Paddle faster, I hear banjos. |
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Sun Dec 09, 2007 5:40 pm |
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Cory M Lorincz
F L I N T O I D
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| I recently purchased an HDTV and an antenna ( about $50) with this antenna i get 20 stations crystal clear. It is my understanding if I buy an outdoor antenna i can get Detroits staions as well and have about 40 channels. I have a weather channel, cartoon channel etc. Why bother with cable? |
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Sun Dec 09, 2007 6:24 pm |
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00SL2
F L I N T O I D
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quote:
Cory M Lorincz schreef:
I recently purchased an HDTV and an antenna ( about $50) with this antenna i get 20 stations crystal clear. It is my understanding if I buy an outdoor antenna i can get Detroits staions as well and have about 40 channels. I have a weather channel, cartoon channel etc. Why bother with cable?
I'm curious to know your location and what kind of indoor antenna will pick up 20 channels--and how far they are from you. |
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Sun Dec 09, 2007 7:10 pm |
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00SL2
F L I N T O I D
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" Starting in January, the Federal Communications Commission is offering households with analog TVs up to
two coupons, worth $40 each,
to offset the cost of the digital converters that are expected to cost between $50 and $75 at electronic retail stores.
A Comcast representative said last week that the cable provider will offer free converter boxes to subscribers with analog televisions next year. After a year, digital subscribers will be charged. The current rate Comcast charges for a converter box is $4.20 a month."
Source: http://blog.mlive.com/annarbornews/2007/12/move_to_digital_tv_begins.html
Accessed: December 9, 2007
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Comcast told me I would have to pay $4.20 a month for converter to receive the PEG channels broadcasting in digital beginning in January--if I want to see them. They said nothing to me about free converter box.
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FCC CONSUMER FACTS:
"You should also check the manual or any other materials that came with your television equipment in order to determine whether it contains a digital tuner.
If your television set is labeled as a “Digital Monitor” or “HDTV Monitor,” or as “Digital Ready” or “HDTV Ready,” this does not mean it actually contains a digital tuner. Thus, you still will likely need a separate set-top box which contains a tuner in order to view programs in the new digital TV transmission standard (which includes HDTV formats) on such a set.
Over-the-air digital set-top boxes can be purchased at retail stores. Cable and satellite TV providers also sell or lease digital set-top boxes for their specific services.
(Note: the digital set-top box described here is not the same as the NTIA program digital-to-analog converter box, described below, used to convert free over-the-air digital broadcasts for viewing on an analog TV set.)"
Source: http://www.fcc.gov/cgb/consumerfacts/digitaltv.html
Accessed: December 9, 2007
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Imagine how many consumers are going to be irate, especially those on fixed incomes who can't afford to buy a new TV, antenna, or pay extra cable charge per month. |
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Sun Dec 09, 2007 7:29 pm |
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last time here
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| boy, comcast just rode into town and is now the big dog!!!!!! |
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Sun Dec 09, 2007 9:50 pm |
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Demeralda
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| I saw when this legislation came up, and I knew it would be a problem. I find it ironic that the cost of digital TVs still hasn't come down enough to make it affordable for the masses. What a scam. Of course it will AFTER the law goes into effect, eh? |
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Mon Dec 10, 2007 11:08 am |
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kaypurdue
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I just bought a new HDTV with a built-in tuner. I have regular Charter cable (no HD channels), but I found out I can get HD versions of some local channels just by popping a pair of rabbit ears on there (channels 5, 12, 25, 28, 66) - $7 from Wal-Mart. So with that and a converter box (reduced to maybe $10 or so with the coupon), folks with analog TVs can get the new digital channels without shelling out too much cash.
If I had a nice big outdoor antenna I would be able to get more channels, but I'm in an apartment so that isn't really an option for me. |
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Mon Dec 10, 2007 1:53 pm |
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Ted Jankowski
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Just another example of how Big Brother is looking out for our best intrests.
Government Knows Best! |
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Mon Dec 10, 2007 2:16 pm |
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00SL2
F L I N T O I D
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Council to fight cable switch
State help sought on CTN channels
Wednesday, December 19, 2007
BY TOM GANTERT
The Ann Arbor News
The Ann Arbor City Council is taking its feud with Comcast to the state level, where it hopes the people it blames for allowing cable providers to move community access TV to undesirable channels in the 900s will fix the problem.
Council Member Marcia Higgins, D-4th Ward, sponsored a resolution that calls on the Legislature to amend the state law to require cable providers to keep offering its public access and government channels in their customary channel slots.
Kirk Profit, a lobbyist retained by the city of Ann Arbor, said state lawmakers are just starting to take notice of the complaints and interest "is just starting to develop.''
Profit told council members on Monday he would take their concerns to state lawmakers in January but said, "I don't have an answer for you, yet.''
Ann Arbor offers Community Television Network, which has four channels and offers 19,000 hours of programming a year with much of it government related.
The Legislature approved a bill that went into effect Jan. 1, 2007, that was meant to promote competition among cable providers. But Ann Arbor Chief Financial Officer Tom Crawford said when doing that, the law eliminated any power of a city's franchise agreement in favor of the statewide franchise.
An outcome of that is Comcast choosing to move the community access channels from the low numbers, near the major broadcast channels, to channels 900-plus, which will get far fewer channel surfers, Crawford stated in an e-mail.
But Crawford stated it's just not Comcast. AT&T also put the government channels outside of the normal "channel surfing'' area.
Crawford said people who get AT&T U-verse will have to navigate through a series of menus to find Ann Arbor's CTN channels out of a list of other cities. Crawford said an AT&T customer will have to go through three or four menus to find a City Council meeting.
Comcast is the major cable provider for Ann Arbor and the surrounding townships. It announced that effective Jan. 15, the CTN channels currently on 16, 17, 18, 19 will be moved to 911, 916, 902, and 912, respectively. To access those channels, customers with basic cable service would have to buy or lease a digital converter box or upgrade to digital service.
Comcast says it will provide free access for a year to digital converter boxes, but then customers will be charged a monthly fee. That current fee is $4.20 a month, but Comcast stated they often offer promotional rates.
City Council members have said they have been bombarded with complaints over the proposed change.
Barbara Clarke, chairwoman of the city's cable commission, compared the outpouring of support for CTN to that of young people years ago who demanded, "I want my MTV.''
Ralph Salmeron, CTN manager, said the problem can be more than just an inconvenience. He said if the city had decided to declare a snow emergency after this past weekend's storm, many people would never have gotten that message if CTN were in the 900s.
Higgins said Comcast's decision was based on making money.
"These are very valuable channels, very close to network channels,'' she said. "This is a decision of Comcast. ... We don't agree with this. We want our voices to be heard loud and clear.''
Said Council Member Joan Lowenstein, D-2nd Ward: "All we can do is pass this resolution and hope people who represent us in Lansing will take control.''
Tom Gantert can be reached at tgantert@annarbornews.com or 734-994-6701.
©2007 Ann Arbor News
© 2007 Michigan Live. All Rights Reserved.
Source:
http://www.mlive.com/annarbor/stories/index.ssf?/base/news-25/1198078966180410.xml&coll=2
Accessed: December 21, 2007 |
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Sat Dec 22, 2007 11:12 am |
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00SL2
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We've all heard about the PEG channel changes (by January 15) that will cost an additional $4.20 on our monthly bills for analog to digital converters. I just received a notice of price increases effective January 15, 2008 which doesn't show the $4.20 so I called to ask Comcast if the converter would be provided within the price increase. It will not be. The CS representatives hadn't heard anything about the converters being provided free for a year (that's the Ann Arbor news source). Because they say customer opinion counts I expressed that I am not happy with programming on limited basic and for a $6.20 monthly increase for something I'm not happy with already, it's time to go back to an antenna.
If you are a Comcast customer please call to voice your opinion.
Let's see if our opinions really do make a difference. Also contact City Council representative. Use Ann Arbor for an example.
By the way, Limited Basic has pretty much cartoons, sports and infomercials on the weekends. What more does the SEP include than what is already on the major networks and ESPN?
Ann Arbor City Council has prepared a resolution asking the State to step in, what is the City of Flint doing about the Comcast problem? Anyone know?
* * * *
quote:
News from Comcast (Statement prepared 12/13/07)
As part of our continuing effort to keep you informed about your Comcast Cable Services, we are writing to notify you of some upcoming price changes. Effective January 15, 2008, the following price changes will occur:
Limited Basic $12.99 to $14.99
Standard Basic $33.17 to $33.67
Preferred Basic $50.99 to $53.49
Digital Services:
Classic $11.95 to $14.95
Preferred $15.95 to $16.95
Digital Packages:
Starter $52.98 to $55.48
Preferred $66.94 to $70.44
Preferred with 1 premium $80.99 to $85.99
Preferred with 2 premiums $91.99 to $96.99
Premier (no SEP) $102.99 to $108.99
Premier (incl. SEP) $102.99 to $116.98
On Demand Digital Packages:
Classic $62.94 to $68.44
Silver $76.99 to $83.99
Gold $87.99 to $94.99
Platinum $98.99 to $106.99
Sports Entertainment Package (SEP) $4.95 to $7.99
Digital Video Recorder $11.95 to $13.95
Whole-House Wire Maintenance will no longer be a part of our digital packages and will only be sold as an ala carte service. Please call Comcast at the number on your invoice if you have any questions.
All of us at Comcast extend our appreciation and thanks for being our customer,
Your Opinion Counts!!
Please let us know any way we may better serve your needs. [Customer Service (810) 235-9200.]
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Sat Dec 22, 2007 11:27 am |
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